Trying not to be mean, but snow is white, not gray. You should increase the exposure more. For the composition part on the first one, don't center the primary interest in the middle of the composition unless you have great supporting details on the sides. It also appears to be needing some leveling work. The second one is also an awkward composition and will probably be rejected for that if you fix the exposure and resubmit.

Loyd L.

__________________
Social Media elevates the absurd and mediocre to a point where they aren't anymore, and that is a tragedy.

You're likelier to get shots like these accepted if snow was falling at the time of your shot - just snow on the ground, combined with a common train/power is unlikely to get accepted. As Loyd mentioned, these shots need their exposure raised, though either way I don't see them getting on.

Thanks for letting us know that that rejection reason is still in play!

On mine if wasn't so old I could have moved position and changed my shutter speed, checked focus and then have a sharp going away reject. Really thinking of getting a drone, heck with that standing in the cold shooting moving trains at night. With all the rail yards around Chicago I should be in the top 5 lickity split. (That's and old guy saying).

Since we are on the going away thing, here is one of mine rejected for that reason. I thought the fact it was Father's day weekend, Steam, I'm grabbing the shot from the rear of the train and the person on the bike was trying their best to out race us would warrant a pass but it didnt.... Looking back there is other stuff I see wrong with the pic but that was the rejection I got.

Since we are on the going away thing, here is one of mine rejected for that reason. I thought the fact it was Father's day weekend, Steam, I'm grabbing the shot from the rear of the train and the person on the bike was trying their best to out race us would warrant a pass but it didnt.... Looking back there is other stuff I see wrong with the pic but that was the rejection I got.

Probably would have been accepted if it were Mother's Day.

__________________.
Rhymes with slice, rice and mice, and probably should be spelled like "Tice."

I was scared to death to fly my drone up there. Airspace restrictions out the wazoo, and that wind. I would like to attempt the grain facility at Ransom again though.

Loyd L.

Yeah, attempting to use a drone near any major city is problematic. Large airports with commercial activity typically have Class B or Class C airspace, and it goes all the way to the ground within 5 nautical miles of the airport, although that can vary. To operate ANYTHING in that airspace (airplane, copter, blimp, balloon, drone), even close to the ground, requires communication with the responsible Radar Approach Control, a Mode C (altitude reporting) Transponder, and an ATC Clearance. You actually have to hear the words "Cleared into the Chicago Bravo Airspace, maintain (specified altitude), fly heading (specified heading)". No one gets to just wander in Bravo Airspace. Everybody is on a specific clearance and woe to thee who fails to comply with it. Charlie Airspace is less restrictive, but you still need communication with ATC prior to entering and you still need the transponder. Obviously, the vast majority of drones have no way to comply with these regulations. Possessing a current Sectional Aeronautical Chart for the area where you intend to fly will really help you understand the airspace situation and where you can and can't operate.

Yeah, attempting to use a drone near any major city is problematic. Large airports with commercial activity typically have Class B or Class C airspace, and it goes all the way to the ground within 5 nautical miles of the airport, although that can vary. To operate ANYTHING in that airspace (airplane, copter, blimp, balloon, drone), even close to the ground, requires communication with the responsible Radar Approach Control, a Mode C (altitude reporting) Transponder, and an ATC Clearance. You actually have to hear the words "Cleared into the Chicago Bravo Airspace, maintain (specified altitude), fly heading (specified heading)". No one gets to just wander in Bravo Airspace. Everybody is on a specific clearance and woe to thee who fails to comply with it. Charlie Airspace is less restrictive, but you still need communication with ATC prior to entering and you still need the transponder. Obviously, the vast majority of drones have no way to comply with these regulations. Possessing a current Sectional Aeronautical Chart for the area where you intend to fly will really help you understand the airspace situation and where you can and can't operate.

Good information there. Do drone sellers share those restrictions with drone buyers?

Good information there. Do drone sellers share those restrictions with drone buyers?

Most UAVs will display a warning, and require an override by the user to fly in restricting locations. Any UAV running on AIRMAP software will be unable to leave the ground unless a key is provided to assure permission was granted.

Loyd L.

__________________
Social Media elevates the absurd and mediocre to a point where they aren't anymore, and that is a tragedy.

Most UAVs will display a warning, and require an override by the user to fly in restricting locations. Any UAV running on AIRMAP software will be unable to leave the ground unless a key is provided to assure permission was granted.

Loyd L.

I really applaud what the manufacturers are doing. Before the advent of some of these controls, there were some really scary YouTube videos posted of people flying at altitudes well above 400 AGL and in the clouds. The latter really scares the heck out of those of us who fly under Instrument Flight Rules (IFR), because we rely on Air Traffic Control (ATC) to avoid other aircraft when we can't see them and of course, when we are in the clouds, we can't see anything.

To me, the key thing to make drone flying safe is training. The world of aviation has its own procedures, rules and regulations and unfortunately, the general public (and the media) are virtually clueless about how it all works. It is a completely different world. As a driver, you wouldn't want a clueless person on the highway who didn't know a thing about the rules. The same is true about aviators. Before anyone would hand the me the keys to an airplane (yes, light aircraft do have keys), I had to prove to the Feds that I was capable of operating in the National Airspace System without hurting anybody or creating any kind of havoc. I had to take many hours of expensive training, and take both written and practical tests to prove that I had the knowledge and skill to fly. I think it only makes sense that drone operators should have to take some sort of basic course, so that they understand how they fit into the system, and what rules they are expected to follow. Unfortunately, the sort of "orientation" class that I speak of isn't something you can cover in a 10 minute briefing.